Skepticism

EVENTS

Is Ted Nugent still a darling of the Republican party?

I knew Ted Nugent was a nasty piece of work, but this…can he possibly be a bit more blatantly racist? He’s had a couple of shows cancelled at Indian casinos — first by the Coeur d’Alene tribe in Idaho, and most recently by the Puyallups in Washington — and I guess it made Nugent a mite testy.

“The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has always been about human rights — for decades, we have worked individually and as a Tribe to make sure that each and every person is treated equally and with respect and dignity,” said a statement from the tribe.

A spokesperson for the casino said that the company didn’t want to provide a platform for the “racist attitudes and views that Ted Nugent espouses.”

Nugent responded to the cancelation by calling the Coeur d’Alene Tribe unclean vermin.

By all indicators, I don’t think they actually qualify as people, but there has always been a lunatic fringe of hateful, rotten, dishonest people that hate happy, successful people, he continued. I believe raising hell and demanding accountability from our elected employees is Job One for every American. I am simply doing my job.

Brilliant: fired for racist remarks, so he calls the whole tribe “vermin” and questioning their status as humans, perfectly confirming the accusation.

1. His opponents are “hateful” (and “rotten” and “dishonest”). He just called an entire tribe “unclean vermin”, yet their statements are hateful.

2. Said opponents are simply jealous of “happy, successful” people like him. Their objections couldn’t possibly relate to anything he’s ever said and done, only that he’s rich enough to say and do whatever he pleases.

3. Somehow their opposition is because he “demand[s] accountability from our elected employees”, not because he says offensive things about large groups of people inside and outside of government.

Compare this to Christians who complain about “hateful” atheists (pro-tip: disagreement =/= hate), Romney’s 47%, or anti-gay/anti-abortion preachers who fear arrest for “speaking the truth” (and not, say, trespassing into a Unitarian church).

Of course he is still their darling. If anything, this increases his stature. Marytrdom sells big in world of the RWNJ, triggering their hyper-developed persecution complex. Offering food and shelter to poor, threatened brown children is about the only thing he could do that would hurt him in their eyes and we all know they ain’t gonna happen.

Why does a fringe musician that had a couple of hits 30 years ago matter? Ever notice wingnut idols are like Ted or Victoria Jackson, D- list “celebrities”? This is lower than infomercial status. I can see Ted selling laser gunsights at 3 AM on The Ammosexual Channel.

I live directly across the street from the Puyallup tribal headquarters, and can see their casino’s big flashing video billboard from my living room. Seeing the Ted Nugent “Cancelled” ad flash across the screen this afternoon made it the most beautiful sight in East Tacoma, by far.

On a more depressing note…it seems that at least a small role in the timing of this decision, if not the decision itself, was played by some idiots who decided to phone in death threats after Nugent’s concerts last year. This is being reported by KOMO (the local ABC affiliate) and by the local Faux propaganda office. No doubt, this fuels his “I’m a victim” narrative. Apparently, the disgusting spectacle of a white asshole rocker jumping around on stage wearing a native-style headdress while playing a concert at a tribal casino that sits on the tribal reservation doesn’t, in fact, pass over the heads of the tribal council. Who would’ve guessed?

Apparently, the SPLC contacted the casino and filled them in on some details about Nugent, and it’s possible his rant was directed at them, not the Indians. He’s still a worthless shitstain, and his racism has already been well-established, but I’m not 100% sure he was referring to the Native Americans. This time.

abbeycadabra:
You may be right.
The unclean vermin remark is made here:

Ted Nugent, who performs Saturday at the Leach Amphitheater in Oshkosh, has a few words for critics calling for Waterfest organizers to cancel his show.

“I take it as a badge of honor that such unclean vermin are upset by me and my positive energy,” Nugent said in a recent interview with Gannett Wisconsin Media. “Put your heart and soul into everything you do and nobody can stop you. Sometimes you give the world the best you got and you get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you got anyway.”

The outspoken rocker took some time to respond to a few questions via email while on the SHUTUP & JAM! tour. He said he’s always had critics.

He was criticizing the people who called for his Waterfest concert to be cancelled (same article):

In a June 19 Oshkosh Northwestern Media letter to the editor, Kevin Kratsch of Oshkosh calls for the cancellation of the show. Numerous comments from readers via social media expressed their agreement and distaste for Nugent, while just as many completely disagreed.

Kratsch, said he wants the show canceled because of Nugent’s polarizing and inappropriate behavior, and wrote the letter to the editor to get others’ attention.

Nugent, who has hits like “Wango Tango,” “Stranglehold,” and “Cat Scratch Fever,” is known for his outspoken political statements. In one example in January he called President Barack Obama a “subhuman mongrel,” which he later apologized for.

“I’m the first to admit: Don’t like it, don’t go,” Kratsch said. “But I think people like me that are upset need to voice our opinion.”

Nugent does not belong in Oshkosh, he said

Kratsch was initially moved to take action after finding out the East Texas town of Longview paid Nugent about $16,000 earlier this year to not play a Fourth of July event he was booked for. He felt if it could be done in Texas, it could be done here too.

An online petition to cancel the show aiming for 200 signatures was also created on MoveOn.org that had 187 signatures as of Wednesday morning. However, less than 100 of those signatures were listed as Oshkosh residents, with the remaining listing their residencies ranging from Kaunakakai, Hawaii to Neenah.

He should probably be nixed from the casinos for “Great White Buffalo,” but he’s definitely the type of guy northwest casino-goers are into… Money or principle? Not my place to decide and I know I’ve compromised for money before.

Hmm, what was it the Dixie Chicks were told when they dared to criticize Pres. Bush in 2003? Just Shut Up and Sing.

With Nugent I’d settle for just the first half.

At any rate, to be fair the Dixie Chicks only disavowed Bush as their President, which naturally hurt the conservative’s feelings. Such sensitive creatures that we all know they are this only illustrates the horrendousness of the Dixie Chicks’ statement. If Nugent is any yardstick to measure by, had they threatened and encouraged outright gross and dehumanizing violence instead everything would have been peachy keen.

While I wouldn’t be surprised if the comments referred to the tribe,after reading the original quote, he might have been referring to the SPLC, a group led by a Jewish lawyer. Anti-native American, antisemitic, both fit his personality. He probably buys into the lost tribe bullshit, so it’s all the same. No one (except maybe some in congress, especially among the TeaPeeple) would find fault with holding elected officials accountable ala Elizabeth Warren. Doing so in a vulgar, racist, ignorant fashion may lose you a few gigs. And, Ted, overamped distortion and junior high smirk lyrics aren’t entertainment. Ain’t enough free booze in the world to make me sit through that.

“I believe raising hell and demanding accountability from our elected employees is Job One for every American. I am simply doing my job.”

So… he aint a racist or a gunnut; just “doin his job”, to be an outspoken PITA for everybody, by sayin stuff that makes everybody angry? And that means casinos must provide a stage for him to shout his hateful messages to all their paying gamblers? That for the casino to deny him the stage is plain censorship and denies him rightful rights to be a hateful, bigoted gun nut loud mouth with the crappiest rock band in the world (for good measure)?
Man…. he got himself one hella gude job… Just do your job “over there”, where we can’t hear you, Ted Nu.

Re the Dixie Chicks: If Nugent comes up with a response that’s even 10% as kick ass as theirs was when they got threatened for saying that they didn’t like Bush, I’ll consider thinking that I might have slightly underestimated him. But I doubt he has that kind of talent.

Yet again a member of the rich and powerful elite casts himself as the victim when those with little or no power dare to oppose him. Unfortunately this Tea Party strategy is now being adopted by the bonkers elements of the Conservative party in the UK because they’ve seen how well it worked for the racist, xenophobic bigots of UKIP. As we’ve seen in the US and parts of the EU, blaming the victims of the economic crisis for its cause does work and can all too easily become the orthodox view.